Did you know that many interviewers look at more than just a person’s resume and application information before making a decision about whether or not to hire them?  It’s true: many interviewers, whether they are aware of it or not, also judge candidates by their body size.

This is an incredibly unfortunate bias that exists more strongly among women than it does among men.  Studies have shown that women who are interviewing people for positions often are harder on a prospective female candidate because of weight issues than she is on a thinner woman.  Unfortunately, there is not much to be done about this problem because most of the studies have shown that these people do not even know they are biased against the heavier candidates.  It is surprising for many people to learn that the weight biases were not as strong among male interviewers as was initially though by the organization conducting the studies.

Who is protected from workplace discrimination? The answer to the question is everyone.  While you may not have a discrimination case on your hands if your boss fires you because he doesn’t like you personally, you can take action against him if he doesn’t like you because you fall  into one of the “protected categories”.

Protected categories of discrimination include broad generalizations like gender, meaning that everyone, everywhere, is protected from workplace discrimination.  Men can be discriminated against just like women can.  But there are other protected categories like sexual orientation, race, religion, disability, and pregnancy.  All of these categories are protected by anti-discrimination laws in the United States.  Of course, there are many different laws that cover each of these categories and the discrimination must first be proved in a court of law before justice can be served, but have no fear: you are protected.

Everybody are aware of the protected categories of people who are protected by laws and legal statutes from workplace; people cannot be turned down for a job or fired from a job because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or because of pregnancy.  However, there are other things that are more specific and often related to these protected categories that are not listed under the protected categories.

For example, a company does not have to hire someone who is too young for the position, but they cannot overlook a qualified candidate because he or she is over forty.  Employers can discriminate against weight problems in potential or current employees provided the condition is not medical.  Also, long hair and facial hair are not protected under anti-discrimination laws as long as these things are not worn for religious reasons.  Essentially, if something is not explicitly listed under the protected categories, it does not have to be accepted by employers.